Atencio Outtakes

When you conduct an interview, you always stand the chance of
running over. I’m notorious for my lengthy interviews, but that’s
where the trusty blog comes in. Here are some of my outtakes with
from my tÃªte-Ã -tÃªte with Affliction VP Tom Atencio,
who recently threw his hat into the ring as a fighter. Is it
possible to pull off one of the most anticipated events this year
and sneak in a fight yourself? Atencio is certainly going to
try.

On fighting and promoting at the same
time:

Sherdog.com: What if Dana White suddenly decided he was going to
be a fighter. Do you think people would question him spending his
time on those pursuits when he’s supposed to be promoting?
Tom Atencio: Yeah, absolutely, and I think they’re going to be
people that support me and say, ‘Good job, Tom. It’s awesome that
you’re fighting. Now you can see exactly what these fighters go
through.’ Well, yeah, I do. That’s why I’ve tried to be fair to
these guys because I have fought before. No matter what you do,
you’re always going to have both sides. There’s going to be
fighters that are selfish and greedy. There’s going to be fighters
that are awesome and work well with you, but [fighting] puts me in
a position where I can empathize, at worst, with the guys that are
willing to work with me and bend a little.

Sherdog.com: Do you need that? Do you need to be a fighter to
empathize with the fighters?
Atencio: If you’re going to be good at something, you need to
understand every single aspect. It only benefits me, which I think
benefits the company.

Sherdog.com: With that same train of thought, do you think Dana
White would be a better promoter if he fought?
Atencio: I think he might. I think he might understand what these
fighters feel like.

Sherdog.com: You already fought once [Atencio fought for Total
Combat in January 2005]. Was that not enough to quench this thirst
you have to experience what the fighters do?
Atencio: Absolutely not. That was the crossroads. I either chose to
do what I did with Affliction or continue fighting and I chose what
I chose. Now I want to get it out of my system.

On Affliction’s recent pow-wow with M-1 Global
and Dream in Japan:

Sherdog.com: You recently took a trip to Japan and met with your
partners, M-1 Global, as well as representatives from FEG’s Dream
organization. What was the outcome of these meetings?
Atencio: We went to St. Petersburg first and met with M-1 Global,
who was Vadim [Finkelchtein, M-1’s CEO], then to Moscow. We had a
press conference and an Affliction store opening in Moscow. In
Japan, we did meet with some people from Dream, and that was to try
and work with M-1 Global, who is our partner, in the global fights
through Japan and other countries. It was just a meeting to sit
down and talk to them. They [M-1 Global and Dream] already have a
relationship, so as partners, they wanted us there. We went there
for a purpose, and that’s to make relationships and build bridges
and work with people there and not think we can go to another
country and put events on without anybody’s help.

Sherdog.com: So, let’s squash or propel this rumor that the next
Affliction event might be held in Japan.Tom
Atencio: No. Easy enough.

Sherdog.com: So, when you went out there, that wasn’t ever the
goal –- to explore holding your next event there?
Atencio: At this point, no. It’s up to them [Dream]. They own that
market, and from my experience, I don’t think we or anyone else
could go out there and just put a show on, especially in Japan and
Korea. The culture’s completely different and you need to respect
that.

On public perception:

Sherdog.com: Did you read the article that said some fight
managers are speculating that the next event will be Affliction’s
final show?
Atencio: No. As much as its hard not to, I don’t read the Internet
and all that. When it’s about you or you’re show, it’s
disheartening sometimes. But I can tell you it’s not [the last
show]. They’ve been saying that since our first show. Whether it’s
the UFC or kids on the Internet making it up, that’s all that it
is. It’s just people making up lies or rumors, which is good for
us, because in the long run, it keeps our name out there.

Sherdog.com: Do you think a fight promoter that decides to fight
himself stands to lose some of his credibility as a
businessman?
Atencio: I don’t see how. If you can accomplish more stuff, than
that’s just it, it’s just another something. Hopefully, I don’t,
but no matter what you do, you’re taking a chance though. Isn’t it
better to take a chance and know whether its defeat or a win? Isn’t
it better to know than to just sit back and go, “I wish I had done
that. Wow I wish I had tried.” At least I tried.